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Phoney LinkedIn site

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stanier

stanier

Mechanical
May 20, 2001
2,442
I just got dudded by a phoney LinkedIn website that hacked my Yahoo email account. I guess everyone in my address book (432 people), got a message that I was in front of desk clerk in Spain with the end of my trousers hanging out and needing 1450 pounds to pay the bill.

Beware folks the social networks are a prime candidate for pretending to be the real thing.

"Sharing knowledge is the way to immortality"
His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

 
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Glad,that you have emerged ,with your trousers on. Your friends were very concerned and wanted to bail you out. I hope,you owe all of us a drink .

_____________________________________
"The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually." Martin Luther King Jr
 
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Jet lag is incredicble when you cross continents in nano seconds. Pity the the only Spanish I know is Hola, paella and tapas.

"Sharing knowledge is the way to immortality"
His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

 
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Trevis at Bella Vista. Ask for MArious when you get there. Fine Itallian cuisine. I am sure you know it if you are around the corner.

"Sharing knowledge is the way to immortality"
His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

 
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I don't but I will try it.

If I have the budget I normally eat at Arthurs in Kellyville Village. Quite expensive but truely world class.

Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &
for site rules
 
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so what was the fake linkedin routine like? was it a simple phishing email "click here to approve the invitation" or was it something else?
 
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Stanier, you have my sympathies. My hotmail account got hacked last year, one very busy extended lunch time sorting that out.

Posting guidelines faq731-376 (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​
 
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"Pity the the only Spanish I know is Hola, paella and tapas. "

Usted no sabe la cerveza?
 
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We've had a busy morning, too. My oldest son's email was also hacked yesterday. It's a Hotmail acct, but the result was similar to what Yahoo accts that have also been hacked.
I'm sure most are familiar with the Facebook problems of late. I think they have their email problem solved, at least for now.

Bottom line (from MSN)...If you get an email with NO subject, if you get an email with only a NAME in the subject line and, if you get an email from someone you THINK you might know and it has only a "link"....DON'T OPEN IT !!!

This mornings acct changes included stronger passwords, always a good idea. I'm about changing all mine to at least ten digit number combos. Fingers crossed!

Rod
 
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I'm pretty sure that most such breakins are crimes of opportunity, as opposed to a targeted attack, since the potential payoff is dubious and unknown. It's more likely that some inadvertent usage of your email through an unsecured internet link is more likely a suspect.

TTFN

FAQ731-376
Chinese prisoner wins Nobel Peace Prize
 
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I thought that such attacks were limited to the duration that the login credentials were valid? (as w/Firesheep?)
 
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Crimes of opportunity are still crimes. This mornings problem was very childish in nature...more like some kids hacking. Then again, it was a 'kid' that hacked the DOD's computer network!

For us, it was just inconvenient, at least the email password changes. I'm told the facebook problem was a Canadian marketing scam...selling Viagra or something along that line. All my 'friends' got the same message...by the time I found out about it the problem had been corrected and all the mail from me had been deleted. Stronger password...hope it helps but not expecting it to be a cure all. Due diligence...Take nothing for granted and send nothing you wouldn't want you mom to find out...;o)

Rod
 
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Wasn't suggesting that they weren't crimes, just that the preventative measures are going to be slightly different. As you say, diligence is the primary approach, but you can still be caught unawares.

I've visited sites that I've been to be before with no problems, yet got hit with malware on a later visit. In one case, that was even running TWO f$#king internet protection programs. If it's that easy for malware to enter your computer, it's only a matter of time before someone more criminal than a$$hole marketeers makes use of such an approach.

What REALLY frosts me is that one of the two programs flags just about every other website as being "untrusted" for non-compliant security certificates, yets allows malware through with nary a whisper. In fact, I spent nearly 10 minutes trying to get my tax return submitted, before I realize that this f#%$king program was keeping Turbotax from connecting to the internet, and, it was not even bothering to tell me about it.

TTFN

FAQ731-376
Chinese prisoner wins Nobel Peace Prize
 
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I think that people receiveing this spam would realise that being in a hotel would mean that the hotel had your credit card details. So they would get paid in any event. I would stay in the hotel until I got new cards. In fact I was in italy and inadvertently left my card in Rome at the airport. Cancelled it. I got na temporary replacement card in Tuscany the next day. My wife still used her credit card that was linked to mine.

If I had to leave on a flight I would go to the airport. There is nothing the hotel would do except some paperwork.

If I didnt have the cab fare I would get the hotel to prepare a shuttle or similar.

"Sharing knowledge is the way to immortality"
His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

 
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@irstuff... that's why I got rid of ZoneAlarm years ago. too much hassle for the incremental benefit. Symantec seems to work fine (similar functionality but it figures out what's safe on its own)
 
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